The weekly messenger. [volume] (St. Martinsville [i.e. St. Martinville] La.) 1886-1948, 1887-07-23
STORIES TOLD CRIMINALS.
Some Of the Pecuiiari;irS OF state
Prison COnyict5.
from the International Rccorl.l


formatory casllistry class. One morn
ing the teacher said: ''Now, boys, l
would like to get yo.:r opinion whether,
from the standpoint OF moral ca9,iialry.
honesty is the best pole, after all.
One of these fellows answered: Il
believe that honesty is the best policy,
though | am not an honest man myself.
know two fellows iii New York, who
used to he crooks, AMI were always get
ting into trouble, bat they reformed and
got III luck. They went over to Phiia-
delphia, and went into the clothing bus
mess, first rs clerks, and they KEEP.
right along for eight or nine years, and
finally they got to OWN an establish
ment, and people had confidence IN
them, and they got cr",ii. to the extent
Of $500, 900, and they gos away with the
whole of it."
When in the Ohio peniteniary one
day, the wife Of a prisoner, an accom-
plished English lady; handsome, cu.ti-
vated, irresistible, solicited my Offices to
go to the Governor to ask for his pardon.
/ said to her: "No, madam, there are \
hundred men here more deserving Of a
Nptl HuSbttAha. via
tToduce you to the Governor, but | will
not intercede for the pardon of your
husband" took the precaution to go TO
the Governor in advance, and explain to
him the situation. She presented n GER
tificate FROM the prison ply. n IAN. The
Governor read it slowly: Charles W.
-, convicted at such time and
place, of the crime of larceny of a horse
and buggy, is now under conviction for
his first Offence, AMI he is III imminent
danger of p-spinal-m-e-n-
Mountaineering At once he ex-
claimed: Good heavens, has he got al.
that, Let him GO" His clerk made
out the necessary papers for the prison
er's release. II required four men to
hold him in the prison hospital, and
four men to take him from the hospital
10 the carriage A half an hour later /
found him lying il Il bed in a fourth
story of "A hotel. having walked up stairs
without any assistance whatever.
Ionce had the pleasure of making y
visit, with the Governor Of the State of
Illinois, to the penitcntiary of Joliet.
There was confined in it at the time a
noted burglar from the city OF Chicago.
The Governor had promised that he
would have some conversation with him
in regard TO an alibi which he claimed
to he able 80 prove, and which would es-
tablish his innocence of the crime
of which lac had been convicted.
] had some impression of the character
of this man when I saw the warden, on
enp,t,,,, fNp hi,,, ly.1yar hIS
desk, take ont . rcyolve" and put II IN
his pocket. The prisoner was brought
in, and the Governor listened to the
tale of his alibi. Al its conclusion lie
inquired:
"How many burglaries nave you ever
committed:
81 doa't know, Governor, never
kept count. / Suppose abolt a hun
drpd."
"You have been q very bad man"
"Who says So, Governor
The Governor was taken somewhat
aback and answered: "Thc newspa-
pers."
"Whv, Governor, | have seen your
name in the newspapers once or twice.
If they will say such things about a
man in your position, what must be ex'
pected of man in mine -
He went on to remark that he need
have no hesitation in granting him a
pardon, for, though he made no profess
sons of repentanch-it would he absurd
10 do tha.-he had come to the conclu
sion, while in prison, that life of crime
does not pay. He had tried it. He
had been all his life burglar, he had
robbed banks. he had ha,i' hundreds of
thousands of dollars pass through his
hands, and he vas just rs poor as when
he began; and, having come to to that
conclusion, he felt that the Governor
might safely release him, since he fully
meant TO nIlit the hnsinrss and follow